Maverick

1. Chris Squire 1a. Geddy Lee

The way I envision it working is that the Hot Rod is a higher gain version of the standard. The standard can be set to sound like a 1962 Blues Breaker, a JTM 45, a 100 Watt Plexi, a Vox AC30, or a Fender Tweed Twin or BF Twin, to name a few. So with that range of sounds, and the Hot Rod, I could have four different amp flavors at my feet, in addition to running straight into my Lonestar Special, or what have you. Honestly, this is all for situations that will likely never ever happen, like playing a real gig or such. But weirder things have happened, and really, it's just a lot of fun.

NPD - Origin Effects RevivalDRIVE Hot Rod Edition. A couple of weeks back I posted about the Origin Effects Cali76 Stacked Edition compressor. I was so impressed by the pedal that I decided to give one of their overdrive pedals a look. The RevivalDRIVE has been on my radar for a few years, and then the Hot Rod Edition came out, so I thought I'd look into both. Only 500 were made of the Hot Rod full edition. They still make a single sided Hot Rod, but it doesn't have nearly the number of controls of the full. This is true of the standard RevivalDRIVE, as well. Once I decided I was in on getting one, I decided to go with the Hot Rod first, since they are only available on the used market, and there were some available in mint condition at a reasonable price. These pedals aren't regular overdrive pedals, and they aren't regular "amp in a box" pedals, either. These pedals recreate, in compact form, the entire signal path of a tube amp circuit, minus the tubes. But everything from the input transformed to the tube or solid state rectifier stage. The idea is to have a pedal that can recreate the signal characteristics of vintage valve amps that didn't have a master volume. In the Hot Rod one, it is modded, souped up valve amps with high gain. After playing with the pedal for a couple of days, this is the closest I have heard a pedal coming to making my amp sound like a completely different amp. So far, I have only gone into the input of my Mesa Boogie Lonestar Special. But the Marshall setting sounds like a 70's higher gain Marshall, and the Train Wreck Liverpool setting sounds like a souped up, very lively Vox AC30. There's also sample setting for a modded Princeton Reverb, which was the first Mesa Boogie Mark I, and a setting for a higher gain Orange amp. Right now, I have one channel doing the Marshall and the other doing the Train Wreck, and it's just too much fun. I really need to experiment more with the Volume (gain) knobs for each. But yeah, this is an amazing piece of gear, and I'm looking forward to getting the standard RevivalDRIVE at some point.

You know, I have a Mesa Boogie 5 band EQ pedal. I really should put that in line with the compressor and see what it yields. I'll try it with my Lonestars (in the effects loop, after everything else) and with my Deluxe Reverb, which doesn't have a loop, so it will likely be last before the amp.

You should design a combination Compressor and EQ pedal and call it the Talent Booster.

Back last year sometime, I kept seeing this pedal on the EHX website and other places. I listened to the online demos and thought it was really cool. But it was chronically out of stock. A couple of weeks ago, I saw someone on Reddit post it as a NPD (New Pedal Day) so I searched and found that Guitar Center had them in stock. I ordered one, and have had it for about a week and a half now. The pedal is essentially a reverse tape simulator. It's main four controls are Volume (sets the output volume) Blend (blends in your dry signal, fully clockwise is 100% wet signal,) Attack (sets the quickness of the attack volume filter, counterclockwise there is no delay on what is played, turning up from there creates a volume swell effect) and Decay (sets the quickness of how fast the volume of the note is cut off, fully clockwise and the note will ring until it dies on the instrument, turning back from there and the note will cut off once it reaches a declining volume threshold.) The way I have it set in this picture is for reverse tape effect: The note will fade in and then abruptly cut off because I have the Decay set to 9 o'clock. If the Decay was set to about 5 o'clock, the note (or chord) would swell up like using a volume pedal. This gives the guitar a real violin type quality. Pair it up with some delay and a nice reverb, and I can play around for an hour and not be aware of the time passing.

I finally found a compressor that I am really happy with. Origin Effects compressors have been on my radar for a couple of years now. The Cali76 is like their flagship compressor, and then they put two circuits into the same box to get the dual studio compressor effect like Lowell George from Little Feat used on his slide playing. And then a year ago, or so, Origin released the Cali76 Stacked Edition, which is a nice hybrid of the Cali76 and the SlideRig. Ihave had several compressors including the original Empress Compressor, the Xotic SP Compressor (twice) and the Strymon Compadre (for about a week.) None of those really did it for me, although they weren't bad at all, but I just never used them, and they always ended up as trade bait. Except for the Compadre, I returned that because I knew right away I wasn't going to use it like I hoped. But then my favorite guitar shop had this, and I had to give it a try. Compression is probably the hardest effect to describe how it sounds. And a lot of times it can be as much about how it feels under your fingers as it is how it sounds through your amp. Everything gets evened out. Everything sounds more clear and full. I noticed the chords I play being more lively and sparkly. The best description I've heard about what compression does is: It does for your clean sound what an overdrive does for your dirty sound. So essentially it is an overdrive for your clean tone.

I saw the title of the thread and thought, "What in the world is he talking about?" Then I saw the video you posted. I didn't even have to play it, I already knew. :lol:

He's playing a Kiesel bass, so he's alright by me.

Deadwing. In Absentia is a close second and FOABP is a close third. The Incident is a more distant 4th, but I still like it a lot.

How could I forget Tony and Frank???? The thing about the classic hard rock aesthetic is probably a pretty big player in me being drawn to the SG now. Not that my Les Paul also isn't that, or my Kiesel (definitely looks wise, and it's humbucker does really nice with harder rock and higher gain sounds.) But the SG (especially the cherry red ones) just have an aggressive "IDGAF I'm going to melt your face off" look.

Crumbl Cookies - Food of the Devil, Himself.

Same here. I can't recall ever playing one, holding one, even wanting to take one off the wall at a guitar shop. About 11 years ago, when I was active in the local blues jam scene, there was a guy who got a Gibson SG and played it at the jams. He was probably looking for a different sound than the bevy of Stratocasters and Telecasters that were always present. From what I recall, he sounded great playing it. I know tone is in the fingers, but having the SG certainly didn't hinder his overall sound. Pro's who use an SG that inspire me are Angus Young (of course, and really the only inspiration I'd need,) Alex always played one when they did Roll The Bones in concert, Andrew Stockdale from Wolfmother uses them a lot. And of course there is Derek Trucks, but I have never been able to get into his playing. For years I was just completely indifferent to them, and probably would have dismissed out of hand the idea of actually owning one. I would scowl whenever I saw Lifeson break it out for Roll The Bones. What the Hell was he thinking? Didn't he have a PRS or Les Paul that could do the job? It didn't help that I'm not really a fan of that song, either. But lately the idea of owning one has just become more and more appealing. Maybe I'll play one and just think that my Les Paul already covers that ground, and save myself $900.

Lately I've begun GAS'ing hard for an SG model guitar. Epiphone has the 1961 SG Les Paul Standard with Gibson Burstbucker pickups, poly gloss finish, and hard case for $849. Gibson has SG Standard with the 490 Humbucker pickups, nitro finish, and soft case for $1600. After doing some reading, I think I would probably like the Epiphone better. The pickups seem more in line with what I'm after, tone wise, from the guitar. I'm more than ok with the polyurethane gloss finish. The two Epiphone 335's I have both have the poly finish, as well as my Kiesel and Music Man Albert Lee. The 335's have the gloss on the neck. which is what the SG will have, and I quite like it, although I would probably at least hold a Gibson SG for a bit to see how it at least feels in my hands. The thing about the Epiphone SG is that if I find I don't care for the Burstbuckers, I can buy whatever pickups I want to replace them, and still won't have spent as much as I would have buying a Gibson. If I buy the Gibson and end up not liking those pickups, I'll either live with it, or it will become a $2000 guitar as I go to replace them. The Epiphone is available at a Guitar Center not terribly far from me, so it looks like I'll be heading out that way later this week.

I really dig Lido Shuffle and Dirty Lowdown.

Oh wow, this is very sad to hear. Alan was one of my favorite drummers, and was, I believe, very underrated for what he did in Yes. RIP Alan.

Good.

A big plus to living in Switzerland would have the be the flag.

Wow, this is surprising. I remember going through a New Age phase during my first year in college, and Vangelis was one of the main people I listened to during that, even though he had been around long before. I had actually purchased a couple of the Jon and Vangelis records a couple of years before when I was still in high school. I think I had heard Th Friends of Mr. Cairo one night on the radio, and I had to have it. Then I heard Heaven and Hell, and Jon Anderson singing on "So Long Ago, So Clear." Years later, it was another Jon and Vangelis collaboration with "Italian Song." Just truly beautiful music. And I'll always remember the music from the wine commercial back in 1987 (Was it Gallo wine?) and it just sounded like Vangelis, and it actually was. I guess I'm going down a Vangelis rabbit-hole today.

Maybe we should do a poll on whether or not you make too many polls. Seriously, though: Yes, you are known for making polls, but it is not the number of polls you make, but rather the number of options for which we can vote in any given poll you've made, that make you stand out.

You mean A-poll-o?

I am really appolled at these bad puns.

It's annoying AF to be honest. Not that I go to MOTS all that frequently, but if I did, I'd sure get tired of seeing HUNDREDS of polls with stuff like Blue Oyster Cult Elimination Round 7, Toto Elimination Round 9, on and on and on and on. It's bad enough that the New Topics section is dominated by them, sometimes 4 out of the five are all polls. Right now in MOTS, 21 of the 30 topics on the first page are polls (this does not include the pinned topics up top.) Honestly, I am deeply ambivalent to these polls. On the one hand, they are good because they get and keep members posting and coming back and being involved on a board for a band that has been inactive for 7 years, and will never record or tour again as that particular unit. So that's good. On the other hand, does every fvcking band ever need a poll on it's discography?